Quick scan vs. deep scan — why it matters here
Quick scan checks the file table, a directory Windows keeps of what's supposed to be on the drive. Once a file's file-table entry is cleared — which happens naturally over time, or immediately after a format — quick scan has nothing left to find, even though the file's actual data may still be sitting on the drive untouched.
Checklist before assuming the file is gone
- Re-run using deep scan, not quick scan
- Confirm you selected the correct drive letter — especially on machines with multiple partitions
- Clear any file-type or date-range filter in the results view that could be hiding matches
- If it's an SD card or USB drive, connect it directly rather than through a phone or camera
Downloading & running RecuvaDownload
1. Install or extract it
Use the Windows or macOS button on this page. For the installer, run it with administrator rights; for the portable ZIP, extract it to a drive you're not scanning.
2. Scan, preview, restore
Pick the drive or device, run quick scan first, switch to deep scan if needed, then restore selected files to a different drive than the one you scanned.
FAQs
That points to the data being overwritten already, which happens once new files reuse that space. At that point, no recovery tool can bring the original data back.
Yes — SSDs with TRIM enabled proactively erase deleted data for performance reasons, often within seconds of deletion, which is a hardware-level behavior no software can work around.